


The Mistake

by SNES_Trumpets



Category: Lupin III
Genre: Angst, Cuddles, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Kissing, M/M, Mild Blood, Sickfic, Whumps, sappy stuff idk, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28460310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SNES_Trumpets/pseuds/SNES_Trumpets
Summary: Jigen and Lupin are hunted by a masked attacker after a heist. Lupin does something he regrets. Also I suck at titles.
Relationships: Jigen Daisuke/Arsène Lupin III
Kudos: 53
Collections: Lupin the Nerd Secret Santa 2020





	The Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if there are any mistakes UwU.

Sprinting for his life was different with him. His feet only touched the earth in theory, because it didn't feel like it when running beside him. Unusually, Lupin was lagging behind a little, panting heavily. 

The snapping of twigs from behind. The hairs on the back of Jigen’s neck rose. He twisted his head back to get a look of who had caught up with them. 

It was one man. His face was hidden behind a mask, and he immediately raised a pistol and fired. The bullet whizzed past Jigen’s face so close that he could feel the air as it rushed past. “Shit,” he hissed, grabbing his magnum. Still running, he fired two shots back at the man, both missing by a fraction. “We gotta stop and fight head on,” he said through gritted teeth. 

The skidded to a stop, autumn leaves fluttering into the air. They twisted around and Jigen pulled the trigger. This time it tore through the sleeve of the man’s robe and grazed his arm. He easily avoided Jigen’s shot. He simply stepped to the side, as though the two of them were no threat to him whatsoever. His attacks were just as effortless; he fired a couple of shots in quick succession, all aimed at Jigen. The first grazed Jigen’s cheek, blood splattering to the ground. He managed to avoid the second one. But narrowly. Before he could even aim his gun, the third shot came. 

Jigen tensed, knees bent, ready to jump out of the way. Then he stiffened.

This shot wasn’t aimed at him.

He swore viciously under his breath and twisted around to see Lupin standing like a deer in headlights, gaping at the incoming bullet. Jigen lurched, leaves crunching beneath his boots as he sprinted towards his partner. He shoved Lupin with all his strength and pivoted so he was facing the man, near enough throwing up his gun. He’d been too slow, however. He tried to duck away from the bullet, but it hit his side with a wet thud. 

“JIGEN!” Lupin was scrambling towards him. 

“You idiot,” Jigen hissed, gripping his wound. Blood poured out from between his fingers. That was apparently enough to bring Lupin back to his senses, because he whipped around and fired at the masked attacker, the bangs echoing throughout the forest, birds and squirrels scurrying away at the sound. One bullet finally hit its mark, embedding itself into the attacker’s chest. He recoiled, stumbling back. Lupin fired again and again, each and every shot now hitting its mark. Blood exploded from the man’s chest with each bullet that hit and he toppled backwards, crashing down to the ground.

“You got him,” Jigen said between pants. 

Lupin wasn’t listening, however. He was still pounding down on the trigger until the gun was clicking. Empty. 

“Lupin,” Jigen wheezed. “You got him. He’s dead.” 

Lupin’s shoulders slumped. His arms dropped to his side. “Sorry.” 

“N-Not like you to freak out like that…” Jigen coughed, his vision fuzzing around the edges. Surely he hadn’t lost that much blood yet. He was fairly certain the bullet had missed his vitals. 

“He shot you,” Lupin stated. 

“Not the first time I’ve been shot. Not the last, either.” Jigen’s grip tightened on the wound. “We need to get goin’.” He stumbled, hacking up blood, his hat slipping from his head. He was dimly aware of the sensation of Lupin’s arm sliding around him, heaving him upright. His head lolled, bumping against Lupin’s shoulder. Blood trickled from the corner of his lip and stained the green jacket. 

“You’re hurt.” There was an edge of panic in Lupin’s voice. 

“N-no fuckin’... sh-shit…” Jigen caught his breath and forced his head upright. “We need to get goin’... There could be more of ‘em.” 

“Oi, but what about that wound?” 

“It’s fine!” Jigen snapped. He softened his voice, partly because raising his voice like that had made his shot wound twinge, partly because Lupin was already under enough stress without him snapping. “We can treat it when we find someplace safe.” 

With some reluctance, Lupin nodded. He pulled Jigen’s arm around his neck, allowing him to lean his weight on him. Jigen took the first step. It jostled his shot wound and a wet warmth spread between his fingers. The familiar metallic stench of blood filled his nose. He forced himself to take another step, leaning heavily on Lupin for support, and then another. And another. Until the scorching pain in his side was somewhat bearable and he actually felt as though he was making progress. 

Their footsteps crunched in the leaves. The remaining leaves that clung to the canopy of tree branches looked black under the moonlight and rustled softly in the breeze. The night air was soothing, but Jigen wasn’t about to enjoy its effects much with that screaming pain in his side. His inhaled sharply through his teeth with each step they took, longing for the moment when they would finally stop and settle down. He’d been so focused on forcing himself to keep walking that he didn’t notice the log cabin until Lupin stopped in his tracks. 

“We can stay here for the night,” Lupin said. “Get you a warm bed and see if there’s anything to eat.” 

Jigen only grunted in response, bracing himself for the agony that would be walking up the wooden steps that led to the door. He had to admit, though, the cabin looked real cozy. It was a rich brown in colour, built up out of high quality wood. The roof was thatched, like the cottages you’d see in picture books. There was a well made from cobblestone next to the cabin, but Jigen doubted that the water in it would be safe to drink. Maybe if they boiled it, though…

Lupin led him up towards the stairs and grinned at him. “Ready, bud?” 

“‘S gonna hurt like a bitch,” he said. He took a deep breath, inhaling through his nose and exhaling out of his mouth, and took the first step. Agony. The wood creaked beneath his weight, but held steady. He gritted his teeth and groaned. 

“Don’t push yourself,” Lupin murmured. He ignored him, stepping onto the second step. His vision blurred around the edges, but he forced himself up the third step, and then up onto the the balcony. He wobbled, almost falling backwards. “Woah, easy,” Lupin said, his grip around him strengthening. 

Jigen said nothing, instead walking across the balcony towards the door. It was unlocked and opened smoothly. Someone had oiled the hinges recently, which was a good sign. That meant the owner had been there recently. Lupin helped him inside. 

The cabin smelled of smoke, but not overbearingly so. It was a pleasant smell. The floor was covered in layers and layers of rugs. There was an oak coffee table and a brown leather couch which Lupin helped Jigen lay down on. He sunk into the leather, his hair spilling out, slick with sweat. He kept one hand clamped over his injury, sticky rivlets of blood flowing through his fingers. 

Lupin was on the opposite side of the room, rummaging around in some wooden cupboards. He pulled out a first-aid kit, along with two cans of soup and a couple of bottles of water. That saved them having to try and boil the shit at the bottom of the well, at least. A draft shuddered through the cabin and Jigen shuddered. 

“I’ll start the fire after we’ve got you patched up,” Lupin said, kneeling in front of the couch, first-aid kit in tow. Jigen grunted in response. “I need to take your shirt off.”

“At least buy me a drink first,” Jigen mumbled.

“Ha, ha. Very funny,” Lupin said, creases appearing on his brow as his delicate hands unbuttoned the shirt. “You know the drill, man. This is gonna hurt.”

Lupin hadn’t lied. Jigen grunted through his teeth, the chords in his neck visible with the effort it took not to scream. Finally, he heard the clink of the bullet hitting the metal basin. Now for the stitches. God, he hated the stitches. 

Lupin’s hands were cool against his skin as he wiped away the blood. He hazarded a glance down, saw the wound wasn’t too long, and lay back down. He bit down on his lip as he felt the first stitch. He grunted at the second, and Lupin murmured soothing words as he finished off the third and final stitch. A slight tugging sensation as he tied off the stitches, a sensation Jigen would never quite get used to even after years of getting shot. Lupin sighed and mopped away the blood again with a towel. The room was filled with the metallic smell of it. 

“Gonna cook anything?” Jigen asked. He hoped the ‘aroma’ of the soup would drown out that smell of blood. 

Lupin just stared at the bloody towel in his hands, eyes glazed over, deep in thought. 

“Hey, Lupin,” Jigen said it a little louder this time. “C’mon, snap out of it.” 

Lupin jolted to life. He smiled at Jigen, eyes flickering back down to the towel in his hands. “Sorry,” he said. 

“I asked if you were gonna cook anything.” 

“That was the plan.” He put down the towel and grinned, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. He put some fresh wood on the fire and got a small flame going. It crackled and snapped, filling the room with a warm orange glow. Lupin set the two cans of soup by the fire, close enough that the flames would occasionally lap at the sides. “That’ll have to be good enough,” he said, stepping away from the fire. 

“It’s perfect,” Jigen said. 

“You hate tomato soup.” 

“Not when it’s made by you.” He grinned, hoping to get even a small chuckle out of Lupin. Lupin gave a ghost of a smile. 

“You’re not good at that kinda sappy stuff,” he said, sitting himself down on the floor next to Jigen’s couch. Jigen dangled an arm across his shoulders, gently twirling a tiny lock of Lupin’s hair between his index and middle fingers. Not that there was much of it to twirl. Lupin gave a sigh and leaned his head back so he was staring up at the ceiling. 

“What’s up?” Jigen asked. “This isn’t like you.” 

“Nothing.” 

“You and me both know that’s a lie.” 

“I don’t feel like talking about it,” Lupin huffed, crossing his arms like he was some angry toddler. 

“Aw, don’t be like that.” But Jigen didn’t pry more. Instead he just stared up at the ceiling with Lupin, pretending like there were a million white stars up there. There weren’t. It was just boring brown wood. 

Lupin stood after a while and stepped over to the fireplace. He poked at the cans tentatively and when he found they didn’t burn him, he picked them up and set them down on the coffee table. He found a can opener in a drawer, as well as two spoons, and opened up the cans. Jigen was immediately hit with the smell. He hated the stuff, but his stomach growled all the same. 

With a groan, he forced himself to sit up. He could feel the stitches bite into him, a sharp pain that exploded in his lower abdomen. “Ngh. Jesus fuck,” he gasped. 

“You’ll tear them if you aren’t careful,” Lupin said, wrapping an arm around Jigen and helping ease him into a sitting position. He managed to swivel around so he sat with his feet set on the floor. The couch was sticky with blood. Lupin sat on it anyway.

After he had managed to catch his breath, Jigen started on the can. He gripped it in both hands, savouring its warmth. Even with the fire he was shivering, a chill running through his body. He ate a spoonful of soup. Grimaced at the taste. “How do you stand to eat this shit?” he asked, taking another spoonful. 

Lupin’s eyes narrowed. He was staring intensely at him. 

“What? I’m not tryna sound ungrateful or anythin’-” Jigen was interrupted by the gentle hand that cupped his cheek, turning his face towards Lupin’s. Lupin placed another hand on his forehead, sweeping back his mess of bangs. 

“You’re burning up.” 

Jigen scowled. “I feel fine. You’ve just been real antsy since we got here.” 

“Yeah, probably because I had to watch you get shot for me again.” 

Jigen’s jaw went slack. His fist tightened around his spoon. “What the hell was I meant to do? Let you get shot?” 

“...I hate how you do that,” Lupin said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “It was my mistake. You shouldn’t have gotten hurt for it.” 

“Well, you patched me up. I’m on the mend.” Jigen ate several more spoonfuls of soup, as if to prove the point. “I’m your gunman. I’m here to protect you. If I get shot then so be it. Better me than-” He stiffened. His spoon clattered to the floor, followed by the tin of soup splashing out across the floorboards. 

“Jigen?” 

He slowly began to lean to one side, his eyes widened, his arms limp. Then he slumped onto the couch. 

“O-Oi,” Lupin leaped back, as though it were a reflex. His voice sounded distant to Jigen. Distorted. The room seemed to sway as though he were on a boat. 

“Sh-shit,” he managed to choke up the word. Darkness stole his vision. 

***

All Lupin could do was gawk. Gawk at the mess of tomato soup, gawk at the sticky blood all over the couch, gawk at the unconscious gunman strewn across it. He raised a hand and dragged it down his face. “The bastard poisoned the bullet…” he moaned. 

Thoughts threatened to race through his mind; threatened to expand until his brain exploded, He bit his tongue, trying to force the thoughts back down. He couldn’t afford to lose his cool. He had to think… Antidote. That was what he needed. Maybe aspirin for the fever. Wait, would that be a bad mixture? Could you risk that? 

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Focus,” he whispered to himself. He had to find an antidote, but where…? 

He clenched his teeth and gripped his forehead. The guy from earlier. The one he… Images flashed in quick succession - the blood, the fragments of ribcage, the shredded mess of the guy’s chest. He groaned. Nausea clogged up his throat. He swallowed thickly, tears pricking at his eyelids. 

If luck was on his side, the guy might have an antidote. Well, he wasn’t really “a guy” anymore. He was a corpse. The realisation struck Lupin like a punch in the gut. He sucked in a breath through his teeth and clamped a hand over his mouth. The tears spilled. 

Was this how Jigen felt the first time he shot someone? 

Lupin had been lucky enough to avoid killing anyone in his career. At least not directly. Normally it was Jigen or Goemon who did that kind of work. He glanced down at Jigen now. He was shivering on the couch, his entire face reddened with fever. Lupin knew he wouldn’t last another 24 hours at this rate. He had to go back and find that body. 

Lupin had no option than to take Jigen with him, hauling him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. He put Jigen’s fedora on top of his own head, stuck the magnum in his back pocket, and grabbed a bottle of water, just in case. He left the cabin. 

The moon was at its peak, full and bright in the sky. Despite that, the blood trail was visible on the ground. It looked black beneath the moonlight. Lupin began his trek.

Following the trail of blood, Lupin managed to reach the body in about half an hour. He carefully lay Jigen down on a pile of leaves. His heart lurched when he saw Jigen and the corpse lying together, Jigen’s face far too pale. Grimacing, he picked up Jigen and moved him farther away from the corpse. He wasn’t cushioned by a leaf pile anymore, but at least he didn’t look like he was lying in a morgue. 

“Look after this for me,” Lupin said, placing the fedora on top of Jigen’s chest. Taking a deep breath, he turned back towards the corpse. 

He turned away again. A hand was clamped over his mouth, his eyes were wide, tears streaming from them. He knew he was being ridiculous - he’d seen a body before, and in far worse states than this, but- 

He forced himself to turn around again. The damage wasn’t as bad as he’d imagined it, but it wasn’t pleasant. The body’s shirt was in shreds, revealing jagged red holes that were torn into his chest. Each hole was surrounded by purple-grey speckles of gunpowder burns and residue. The mask was still on the corpse’s face. A ski mask. Before he could stop himself, Lupin rolled it back from his face.

“Fuck!” The hand was back over his mouth. He fell onto his backside, scrambling away from the corpse. The silver hair, the half-open grey eyes, the scar across the nose… There was no mistaking it. He’d seen that guy in one of Jigen’s old pictures. The photograph was creased from being thumbed so much, but it was always kept in the back of Jigen’s wallet. The man with silver hair had his arm around Jigen’s shoulders in that picture. Both of them wore grins and held cans of beer. 

Now he lay dead on the ground before Lupin. Skin grey, drained of colour. 

A whimper from behind him served as a reminder of what he came here to do. Lupin steeled himself. He leaned towards the corpse, crinkling his nose at the intense metallic smell of blood. He dug through the first jacket pocket, only finding a lighter. He tossed it. The second pocket was empty. He struck gold on the third, though. A small glass vial along with two hypodermic needles and syringes. The vial was unmarked, but he was certain it was the antidote. 

He turned towards Jigen. Drawing up the antidote with the syringe, he rolled up the sleeve of Jigen’s arm and stuck the needle in the crook of his elbow. He pushed down the plunger. He knew he must have been imagining it, but he swore some colour returned to Jigen’s face. It was hard to feel relieved, though. Forcing a smile, he tossed the needle and slung Jigen over his shoulders in a loose piggyback. 

***

Jigen was vaguely aware of a swaying sensation. The sound of leaves crunching beneath footsteps. The smell of Lupin’s cologne. He always told him it reeked, but secretly he found it nice. Comforting. 

“Lupin.” His voice was hoarse, weak. 

“Hm? Jigen? You awake?” 

“Yeah. Put me down.” His head was pounding and his whole body ached, but the swaying sensation was making him nauseous. 

“Are you sure?” 

He said yes, and Lupin carefully placed him on the ground. His entire body felt heavy, as though it was waterlogged. Standing caused the pain in his side to spike. He felt the stitches bite into his skin. 

"The bullet was poisoned," Lupin said.

Jigen didn't reply. Instead, he motioned for Lupin to give him back his hat. Lupin half-heartedly tossed it over. Jigen caught it and placed it back on his head.

"Why am I outside?" Jigen eventually asked, pulling the brim of his hat down over his eyes. They began to walk.

"I had to take you with me while I looked for the body- the antidote."

"Keeping the antidote at hand. Classic. Bet he wishes he'd aimed for my head now." Jigen chuckled, fishing through his pocket for his Marlboro's. 

Lupin was silent. Jigen eyed him from under the brim of his fedora and gave him a slap on the shoulder. "Cheer up, man." 

The reproach in Lupin's eyes was like a punch in the gut. Then those brown eyes of his softened. He took a deep breath. "Jigen."

"Yeah?" 

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

Lupin took another deep breath, his brow creased. "Shoot a guy. How do you do it and not feel like…"

Jigen shook a cigarette out of the pack. "You get used to it." He lit the cigarette, took a drag. When he exhaled, he found Lupin was staring at him, eyebrows knitted. "Don't look at me like that. I'm bein' serious. You shoot people enough times and ya just grow numb to it."

"How do I stop feeling like shit..." 

Jigen stopped in his tracks. The cabin was only about ten feet away now, but he turned back to Lupin and brought him into an embrace, a hand cupping the back of his head, the hair soft between his fingers. Lupin's whole body shook with sobs. He was getting tears all over Jigen's shirt, but Jigen didn't care. Instead, he held the thief closer and rubbed his back. "There, there," he murmured. 

"I dunno why the fuck I did it," Lupin said. He swallowed thickly, buried his head in Jigen's hair. "And do you know who it was? It was a guy I'd seen in that photo in your wallet. The one with silver hair."

"Old mafia partner," Jigen said. "We ended on bad terms." He took another pull from his cigarette, the nicotine calming him. "Thank you. You saved me a lot of heartache. I don't mean to sound insensitive. I know killin' him felt awful, but what I mean to say is…" Jigen sighed. "I appreciate you, man."

Lupin pulled back from the hug, staring up at him with his tear-stained face. Calloused fingers brushed against Jigen's face as Lupin tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. Then soft lips brushed against his. Jigen leaned into the kiss, gently slipping his tongue into the mix, groaning softly. He cupped Lupin's cheek in his hand and wiped away tears with a swipe of his thumb. 

Jigen pulled back from the kiss, still cupping Lupin’s cheeks, his sideburns surprisingly soft. He led Lupin into the cabin, and then up the stairs, where there were two beds. Kicking off his shoes, he dragged Lupin into one of them.

Lupin nuzzled into Jigen’s chest, his hair tickling Jigen’s neck. He had one leg wrapped around Jigen’s hip, pulling him closer. Jigen pecked his forehead lightly, wrapping his arms around him and stroking his hair. He breathed the smell of Lupin’s comforting cologne. With the exhaustion of the day and the warmth of the bed, he found himself feeling sleepy. 

“I appreciate you, too,” Lupin murmured, his voice barely audible. Jigen smiled, tugged him closer. The sunrise stained the room a deep orange. Lupin’s face looked tranquil beneath it, the stress ebbing away from his features as he closed his eyes to go to sleep. 

“That was belated,” Jigen said into Lupin’s hair. After a pause, he added, “I love you.”

Lupin had already fallen asleep. However, there was a ghost of a smile on his lips.


End file.
